Biography

Ellis, Painter, Ratterree & Adams, LLP, Savannah, Georgia, 2009-2016

Hunter, Maclean, Exley and Dunn, P.C., Savannah, Georgia, 1976-2009.

Woodberry Forest School, Woodberry Forest, Virginia, 1968, magna cum laude.

Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, A.B., 1972, magna cum laude.

University of Georgia School of Law, Athens, Georgia, J.D., 1976.

Trained and certified as a mediator in 1992 by the Association of Attorney-Mediators, Dallas, Texas. Participant in the Harvard Negotiation Workshop, June 1993. Has handled over 1,400 mediations and arbitrations since 1992. Listed as a neutral on the panels of: The American Arbitration Association, JAMS, and The Maritime Arbitration Association of the United States. A frequent speaker on mediation and arbitration to various associations, classes, and seminars. Has mediated maritime, personal injury, construction, products liability, employment, contested estates, medical malpractice and commercial cases. Mediation of maritime disputes includes cargo, personal injury, wrongful death, salvage, limitation of liability, commercial, and property damage cases. Mediation of construction disputes includes residential, commercial and industrial projects, multi-party cases, governmental parties and hybrid construction/products cases such as synthetic stucco (ElFS) claims.

Savannah, Georgia, and American Bar Associations; ABA Forum on the Construction Industry; ABA Section on Dispute Resolution; ABA-TIPS Section, Chair of Admiralty and Maritime Committee, 2004; Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute, Member since 1978, Chairman 1986; Maritime Law Association of the United States, Board of Directors 2002-2005, Continuing Legal Education Committee, Chairman 1994-1997, Arbitration and ADR Committee; State Bar of Georgia ADR Section, Chairman 1999-2000; American Arbitration Association; Member, Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution, 2004-2009; Fellow, American College of Civil Trial Mediators; Former Member, Board of Advisors, Charleston Maritime Law Institute; Panelist and Executive Committee of The Maritime Arbitration Association of the United States.

Mediating the Personal Injury Dispute, The Claims Forum, 1995

An Introduction to Mediation, Coastal Family, October 1997

Corporate Use of ADR in Georgia, Georgia Bar Journal, December 1998. Also published in HR Atlanta, Vol. 7, No. 5, October 1999

Admiralty, (Annual Eleventh Circuit Survey), Mercer Law Review, Vol. 50, No. 4, 1999, Co-authored with George M. Earle and Marc G. Marling

Mediation Can Be a Good Way to Resolve Business Disputes, Savannah Morning News, May 2000

Admiralty, (Annual Eleventh Circuit Survey), Mercer Law Review, Vol. 52, No. 4, 2001, Co-authored with Colin A. McRae

Best Person for the Job: A Guided Tour of What to Look for in a Mediator, Maritime Advocate, Issue 18, April 2002*

Admiralty, (Annual Eleventh Circuit Survey), Mercer Law Review, Vol. 53, No. 4, 2002, Co-authored with Colin A. McRae

Admiralty, (Annual Eleventh Circuit Survey), Mercer Law Review, Vol. 54, No. 4, 2003, Co-authored with Colin A. McRae

Admiralty, (Annual Eleventh Circuit Survey), Mercer Law Review, Vol. 55, No. 4, 2004, Co-authored with Colin A. McRae and Jessica L. McClellan

Admiralty, (Annual Eleventh Circuit Survey), Mercer Law Review, Vol. 56, No. 4, 2005, Co-authored with Colin A. McRae and Jessica L. McClellan

Beauty of Arbitration: A Less Costly Alternative to Litigation, Savannah Morning News, March 2005

Admiralty, (Annual Eleventh Circuit Survey), Mercer Law Review, Vol. 57, No. 4, 2006, Co-authored with Colin A. McRae and Jessica L. McClellan

Neutral Experts, Standing Neutrals: Facilitating Resolutions When Parties Rely on Conflicting Experts, Dispute Resolution Magazine, Fall, 2006. Co-authored with C. Allen Gibson*

Admiralty, (Annual Eleventh Circuit Survey), Mercer Law Review, Vol. 58, No. 4, 2007, Co-authored with Colin A. McRae and Jessica L. McClellan

Little White Lies (or Negotiation Tactics) in Mediation and How They Affect the Mediator, MALIBU, Maritime Law Bulletin, Issue 4, Vol. 1, May 2007*

Preparing Your Foreign Client Representative for a Maritime Mediation, ABA TIPS Section, Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee News, Fall, 2011*

Co-Mediation of Multi-Party Maritime Cases, Benedict’s Maritime Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 1, First Quarter, 2014*

References Available Upon Request

Papers marked with asterisk available under "Library" tab.

Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute Seminar Presentation, Savannah, Georgia, June 1984, Contribution and Indemnity Against Tortfeasors Who Have Limited Liability

Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute, Seminar Presentation, Savannah, Georgia, 1990, Maritime Liens Arising Out of Personal Injuries

Maritime Law Association of the United States, Seminar Presentation, Scottsdale, Arizona, 1991, Admiralty Jurisdiction – Recent Developments in the Circuits

Judicial Conference of the Southern District of Georgia Presentation, Hilton Head, South Carolina, 1993, When to Use an Attorney/Mediator in Federal Court

Tulane University, Seminar Presentation, Admiralty in an International Setting, London, May 1994, joint presentation of a mock mediation with Michael K. Clann and Chris Martin

John R. Brown Moot Court Competition, San Francisco, California, 1995 – Judge

State Bar of Georgia, ADR Institute Seminar Presentation, Callaway Gardens, Georgia, 1995, Reflections on Personal Injury Mediation*

State Bar of Georgia, Insurance Law Institute Seminar Presentation: Understanding ADR Procedures, St. Simons Island, Georgia, September 1995

Judicial Conference of the Southern District of Georgia, Amelia Island, Florida, 1995, Joint Presentation with Ruth Young, ADR Survey and Results

State Bar of Georgia, Last Chance – ADR, Seminar Presentation, Atlanta, Georgia, 1996, Alternative Dispute Resolution: The Control Perspective

Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia, 1997, Joint Presentation with Michael K. Clann, Advocacy in Mediation

State Bar of Georgia, ADR Institute, Seminar Presentation, Atlanta, Georgia, 1997

RIMS (Risk and Insurance Management) National Conference, Presentation, Atlanta, Georgia, 1997, Maritime Indemnity

State Bar of Georgia, Seminar Presentation to ADR Section Meeting, Hilton Head, South Carolina, 1997

Alston & Bird, Litigation Department, Atlanta, Georgia, Seminar Presentation on ADR in Georgia, Joint Presentation with Sid Stahl, 1997

Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Admiralty Committee’s Mediation Program, Panel Member, New York, 1999, Ways in Which Mediation Can be Effective in the Resolution of Maritime Disputes

State Bar of Georgia, Construction Mechanics’ and Materialmen’s Liens Seminar, Savannah, Georgia, 1999, Settling the Construction Lien Dispute Through ADR

Judicial Conference of the Southern District of Georgia Presentation, Amelia Island, Georgia, 2000, Joint Presentation with Percy Blount and Ed Allen, Professionalism in Settlement and Negotiations

State Bar of Georgia, Mentoring Program Seminar Presentation, Atlanta, Georgia, 2000, Negotiating for Your Client

Trimar Defense Services, Inc., Seminar Presentation on Mediation, New York, April 2002

State Bar of Georgia, Construction, Mechanics’ & Materialmen’s Liens Seminar, Savannah, Georgia, May 2002, Construction ADR

Maritime Law Association of the United States, Presentation on ADR to Young Lawyers Committee, New York, May 2002

State Bar of Georgia, Seminar Presentation at ADR Institute – Culture, Conflict and Communications, Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia, November 2002, How Far Is Too Far? Ethical Use of Influence

Georgia State University, Program on International Arbitration, Lectures on Maritime Law and Maritime Arbitration, at Linz, Austria, June 2003

State Bar of Georgia, Seminar Presentation at ADR Institute – Celebrating 25 Years of ADR, Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia, November 2003, Managing the Arbitration Process: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

State Bar of Georgia, Construction, Mechanics’ & Materialmen’s Liens Seminar, Savannah, Georgia, May 2004, Construction ADR

State Bar of Georgia, Seminar Presentation at ADR Institute-Celebrating 25 Years of ADR, Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia, November 2004, Managing the Arbitration Process: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (The Advanced Course)

South Carolina Bar, Admiralty and Maritime Law Seminar, Charleston, South Carolina, March 2006, Little White Lies in Mediation and How They Affect the Mediator

American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution Spring Conference, ADR on My Mind in Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, April 2006, Neutral Experts and Standing Neutrals: Using Substantive Expertise to Assist in Dispute Resolution (with co-presenter, C. Allen Gibson)

ICC Mediation Competition, Paris, February 6–10, 2009; Judge and Mediator.

John R. Brown Moot Court Competition, Charleston, South Carolina, March 26-28, 2009 – Judge.

State Bar of Georgia, ADR Institute, Atlanta, Georgia, December 2009, Luncheon Speaker, I love Paris in the Winter: the 4th Annual ICC Mediation Competition

Presentation to Mediation Center, Savannah, Georgia, October 2011, Saving Face and Leaping over Lines Drawn in the Sand in Mediation

American College of Trial Lawyers Puerto Rico, Seminar on The Lost Art of Talking, San Juan, August 2012; Presenter and Panel Member.

Continuing Education Presentation to The Mediation Center, Savannah, Georgia, November 2012, Mediator Roundtable: Inspiring, Wresting and Taming Techniques, Panel Member

ICLE Seminar, Augusta, Georgia, February 2014, The Challenges of Multi-Party Mediation, (Paper only)*

Georgia Super Lawyer, 2005-2016

Best Lawyers in America, Admiralty and Maritime, 1993-2016

Who’s Who Legal, International Commercial Mediation, 2011-2015

Who’s Who Legal, International Transport – Shipping, 2011-2015

AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell